Chairman of the Governor’s forum and Governor of Zamfara, Abdul’aziz Yari has admitted that only Lagos state can pay the minimum wage of N30,000 in the country, totorinews.com reports.
“Like Lagos that is paying about N7 billion as salaries now, if you say it should start paying N30, 000 the cost of salary will be N13 billion. “From our calculation, it is only Lagos state that will be able to pay 30,000.
“Today it is N18, 000. In 2015 when the president assumed office, 27 states were not able to pay, not that they chose not to pay. Now you say N30, 000, how many of us can pay? We will be bankrupt. So as Nigerians, we should look at the issues seriously.” Yari said.
“Apart from Lagos, even Rivers cannot pay. So, we have been crying out about this since 2011 but no one will listen.
“One critical example is that some states ration their salaries while some others put everything they earn on the table and ask labour to come and see and ask them to suggest how much should go for capital and personnel cost.
“Some say 70 per cent for personnel cost and 30 per cent for capital projects and yet the states cannot pay and they put the remaining as outstanding.”
Mr Yari said the way forward is that the governors would continue to dialogue with labour union leaders for them to understand the position of the governors that it very difficult to sustain the payment of the proposed minimum wage.
“Another way forward for the proposed wage would be paid is if labour would agree to downsizing of the workforce across the country or Federal Government itself accedes to the review of the national revenue allocation formula,” he said.
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